Rubard just won't die back...

I've rubarb growing at the side of the garden and it is huge, it was picked for a final time about mid July, it's a well established crown but I don't remember it ever growing to this size, it's screaming out pick me and I'm tempted. Is it likely to affect next years growth if I do? It's been picked since April and wasn't forced this year.

My rhubarb is huge too, think it must have loved all the rain this year. I'm certainly going to start watering ours more in dry spells. I'm not sure about picking it now, the ony reason I haven't been tempted myself is that it's now big enough to divide in to more plants in autumn.

On Gardeners' Question Time recently, one of the panellists said that there was no reason not to go on using rhubarb as long as the plants look vigorous. Mine is always very big and strong, and this year it is massive, so we had a rhubarb crumble last weekend. Both I and the rhubarb are still fighting fit, so I don't think it did either of us any harm.

Slugs aren't a problem with my rhubarb either. I think it's so huge and sturdy that it intimidates them. Or possibly it's a carnivorous type of rhubarb that eats slugs for breakfast - it certainly looks as if it could (sorry, Italophile, it's our compensation for cool, wet weather).

We could do with some cool, wet weather here, GM. Hasn't rained in Tuscany for five months and we're into our second month in the mid-30s. I've had to yank three or four tom plants early because they're not even flowering. Just a waste of precious water. Every local with a vegie garden that I speak to is having their worst season in memory.